Enhanced public safety communication system

ABSTRACT

A communication system ( 100 ) provides collaboration between narrowband communication devices ( 102 ) and broadband communication devices ( 104 ) operating over different networks. The communication devices ( 102, 104 ) are linked to provide peer-to-peer communication that supports the dissemination of public safety information to a public safety personnel user utilizing the devices. Applications within the devices ( 102, 104 ) automatically control features amongst the plurality of devices for redundancy of critical information, removal of non-critical information and power management. Context information can also be examined and shared between amongst the devices.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a divisional application of pending U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 12/749,194 (Attorney Docket No. CM13257), filedMar. 29, 2010, and is related to U.S. patent application no. (AttorneyDocket No. CM13257 D02), U.S. patent application no. (Attorney DocketNo. CM13257 D03), and U.S. patent application no. (Attorney Docket No.CM13257 D04), which applications are filed concurrently herewith andwhich patent and applications are commonly assigned to MotorolaSolutions, Inc. This application further is related to U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 12/749,142 (Attorney Docket Number CM13304), filedMar. 29, 2010, and U.S. Pat. No. 8,380,160 (Attorney Docket No.CM13089), filed Mar. 29, 2010, which applications are commonly assignedto Motorola Solutions, Inc.

FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE

The present disclosure relates generally to communication systems, andmore particularly, to the enhancement of public safety communicationsystems through linkage with additional non public safety communicationdevices.

BACKGROUND

Public safety personnel, such as police officers, firefighters,paramedics and the like typically utilize numerous communication deviceswhile working in the field. Public safety communication devices include,for example, mobile radios such as handheld radios and/or vehicularradios along with remote accessories, such as remote microphones,speakers, earpieces, headsets and the like. These primary, missioncritical devices and the infrastructure to support their operation aretypically realized in the form of a narrowband system operating via aprivate network governed by a public safety agency.

Public safety personnel often carry additional non-mission criticaldevices, such as cell phones, personal digital assistants, electronicnotepads and the like which operate over a broadband connection. Thesesecondary, non-mission critical devices do not provide a user interfacefor high stress environments and can become a distraction to the userduring a mission critical situation. Particularly in high stressemergency situations, the ability to manage numerous communicationdevices can become problematic.

Accordingly, there is a need for an improved communication system whichwill alleviate the aforementioned problems associated with managingnumerous communications devices.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

The accompanying figures, where like reference numerals refer toidentical or functionally similar elements throughout the separate viewsand which together with the detailed description below are incorporatedin and form part of the specification, serve to further illustratevarious embodiments and to explain various principles and advantages allin accordance with the present invention.

FIG. 1 is a communication system formed and operating in accordance withan embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 2 is a more detailed view of the communication system of FIG. 1 inaccordance with an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of information andapplication dissemination amongst communication devices operating withinthe communication system in accordance with an embodiment of theinvention.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart providing an example of event processing betweentwo communication devices operating in accordance with an embodiment ofthe invention.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart 500 example of information sharing and eventtriggering for the interaction of devices operating within thecommunication system in accordance with an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 6 is table providing examples of a trigger and response for twocommunication devices operating in accordance with an embodiment of theinvention.

Skilled artisans will appreciate that elements in the figures areillustrated for simplicity and clarity and have not necessarily beendrawn to scale. For example, the dimensions of some of the elements inthe figures may be exaggerated relative to other elements to help toimprove understanding of embodiments of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Before describing in detail embodiments that are in accordance with thepresent invention, it should be observed that the embodiments resideprimarily in combinations of apparatus components and method stepsrelated to the enhancement of a public safety environment via theaddition of well-leveraged non public safety communication devices. Anoverall communication system is provided which links public safetycommunication devices with non public safety communication devices viaoptimized coordination of the devices through information sharing links.The communication system facilitates productivity while enhancing safetymeasures.

In the description herein, numerous specific examples are given toprovide a thorough understanding of various embodiments of theinvention. The examples are included for illustrative purpose only andare not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention in any way.It should be noted that various equivalent modifications are possiblewithin the spirit and scope of the present invention. One skilled in therelevant art will recognize, however, that an embodiment of theinvention can be practiced with or without the apparatuses, systems,assemblies, methods, components mentioned in the description.

Briefly, referring to FIG. 1 there is shown a communication system 100formed and operating in accordance with an embodiment of the invention.Communication system 100 comprises a public safety network 140 and abroadband system 150. For the purposes of this application the publicsafety system 140 provides a private narrowband network 110 governed bya public safety agency. In accordance with the embodiment, the publicsafety system 140 also comprises a dispatch and information managementcenter 124 and at least one public safety communication device 102operating over the private narrowband network 110. Broadband system 150is formed of traditional network infrastructure 126 operating over aprivate or public network 112 and broadband system 150 also includes atleast one broadband communication device 104, which typically operatesas a non public safety communication device.

The at least one public safety communication device 102 and the at leastone broadband communication device 104 provide a plurality ofcommunication devices for a single user 106 which are preferablyhandheld devices or devices worn on or about the user's body so as to beunder the immediate control of the user. For ease of description andconsistency, the plurality of communication devices will be referred toas narrowband communication device 102 and broadband communicationdevice 104. Narrowband communication device 102 comprises a publicsafety narrowband transceiver and controller with user interfaceelements comprising for example: microphone, loudspeaker, and display.Examples of narrowband communication device 102 include but are notlimited to: hand-held or bodily worn two-way narrowband radios operatingunder a public safety agency, emergency response rescue groups, and thelike. Narrowband communication device 102 further comprises personalarea network (PAN) connectivity (examples: Bluetooth, WLAN, Zigbee).Broadband device 104 comprises a broadband radio transceiver, controllerand user interface elements such as microphone, speaker, display and thelike. Examples of broadband device 104 include but are not limited to: acell phone, a personal digital assistant (PDA), an environmentallydesigned device to name a few. Broadband device 104 also includespersonal area network (PAN) connectivity (examples: Bluetooth, WLAN,ZigBee).

In accordance with an embodiment, a local network subsystem isintegrated within the narrowband communication device 102 and thebroadband communication device 104 to provide paired devices operatingin a peer-to-peer manner over a master-less communication link 120 usingthe PAN. The local network subsystem defines a set of communicationelements linked together for an interconnected peer to peer (vs.traditional master/slave control) network. The master-less communicationlink 120 coordinates the management of the plurality of pairedcommunication devices such that the broadband communication device 104provides additional public safety applications to the user 106.

A secure network link 122 is provided to link the dispatch andinformation management center 124 of the public safety system 140 to thetraditional network 126 of the broadband system 150. The secure networklink 122 may be implemented using for example, a public/private longterm evolution (LTE) system or other appropriate technology, therebyallowing data and in-field device status between the public safetysystem 140 and broadband system 150. Once the devices are paired,broadband communication device 104 operates as a partner communicationdevice to narrowband communication device 102 in response topredetermined public safety triggers, which may occur at either device.When operating in a public safety mode of operation, the broadbanddevice will be referred to as the partner device 104.

In the public safety mode of operation, the narrowband communicationdevice 102 operates user interface elements, information management,event management applications, and connectivity with the partner device104 for sharing contextual information. Examples of contextualinformation include but are not limited to: radio status, sensor status,ambient sound, location and the like. In accordance with an embodiment,the broadband device 104 when operating as a partner device providesexpanded user interface elements, along with information management,event management applications, and connectivity to other local devices.

In accordance with an embodiment, communication system 100 providesinterconnectivity between the narrowband communication device 102 andbroadband communication device 104 by providing an information sharinglink 120 between the devices that coordinated intelligent informationsharing to leverage key functions at each device. Communication system100 provides further interconnectivity between the narrowbandcommunication device 102 and broadband communication device 104 byproviding the secure network link 122 between the public safety network140 and broadband system 150. The interconnectivity is controlled byapplications targeted to safety and productivity aspects associated withthe public safety user responsibilities and job role.

The interconnectivity of information sharing link 120 controls: local orpersonal area connectivity (Bluetooth, WLAN, ZigBee, etc), control of acolor display, intelligent lighting, time out timers, operating system(OS) level event driven triggers, power management, user interface,event sharing protocols, and public safety wide area voice or integratedvoice and data protocols (example: APCO 25 protocol). Theinterconnectivity of secure network link 122 controls the proper routingof information from the broadband device 104 into the device(s) in thenarrowband system using the dispatch and information management center124. Information sharing link 120 controls interconnectivity via atleast one of: general event sharing, coordinated event sharing,coordinated bi-directional event sharing, and both application and eventsharing.

In accordance with an embodiment, the communication system 100 defines aset of communication elements linked together for an interconnected peerto peer (vs. traditional master/slave control) network. The linkedelements support public safety information and status sharing tofacilitate user interaction, increase user awareness, and enhance safetyvia automation of interaction between narrowband communication device102 and partner device 104. Examples of a status sharing comprise callmode, emergency mode, intelligent lighting mode, menu mode, scan mode(vs. idle mode) to name a few. The status and the context of the statuscan be shared via at least four status sharing methods comprisinggeneral event sharing, coordinated event sharing, coordinatedbi-directional event sharing, and both application and event sharing tobe described later. The linked elements operate under a safety netapplication that controls the delivery of additional safety informationto and from the narrowband communication device 102 and partnercommunication device 104. The safety net application ensures thatinformation is sent to the most appropriate device (or the mostappropriate element on a device) and shared in an acceptable format. Theadditional information facilitates responses that lead to added usersafety and work efficiency.

The addition of a partner device or partner devices that is not limitedby the resource constraints or bandwidth constraints of a traditionalnarrowband public safety network allows for parallel operation thatincreases information between the dispatch and information managementcenter 124 and user 106, for example a field officer. The combinedsharing expands traditional capabilities of the narrowband communicationdevice 102 as the two (or more) devices 102, 104 operate in acollaborative manner.

The communication system 100 operating in accordance with embodiments ofthe invention protects independent device to independent device(narrowband communication device 102 and broadband communication device104) synchronization of event occurrences to trigger additional localdevice activity. The “linkage” 120, 122 provides for an equal level ofsharing. The sharing and linkage of elements within the communicationsystem 100 allows certain elements, such as for example display,loudspeaker, and keyboard, to not have to be duplicated on multipledevices, thus lowering overall cost of the system without loss ofoverall functionality.

In accordance with an embodiment, device interconnectivity can beclassified under four general categories: general event sharing,coordinated event sharing, coordinated bi-directional event sharing, andboth application and event sharing. A discussion of each category isprovided below:

General event sharing—One peer device (example: public safety radio)initiates a certain activity and transmits its status or event triggerout to another peer device (example: PDA). The first device processesthe event indifferent to the activities of the second device.Coordinated event sharing—One peer device (example: public safety radio)initiates a certain activity and transmits its status or event triggerout to another peer device (example: PDA). The first device processesthe event with the understanding of the capabilities of the peer deviceso that optimized responses occur. For example, the radio can savebattery power if the PDA has an available or better communicationtransmitter or more battery power.Coordinated bi-directional event sharing—One peer device (example publicsafety radio) initiates a certain activity and transmits its status orevent trigger out to another peer device (example: PDA). The firstdevice processes the event with the understanding of the capabilities ofthe peer device so that optimized responses can occur. For example, theradio can save battery power when the PDA has an available or bettercommunication transmitter or more battery power. Additional interactionor trigger event information is shared between devices post event. Forexample, the interaction between the two devices causes an audible alertto turn off one both devices or trigger a follow-on functional change inthe originating device—in this example, the originating device being theradio.Both Application and event sharing—One peer device (example: radio)initiates a certain activity and transmits both application code andstatus or event trigger information to another peer device (example:PDA). The radio processes the event while the PDA device executes thereceived application code, and the PDA processes the event trigger. Thedevice interaction can mirror the prior three interaction scenarios.This approach allows for the initiating device (example: radio) to knowexactly how the second peer device (example: PDA) will actually processthe events.

Referring back to FIG. 1, in operation the plurality of communicationdevices 102, 104 each includes a local network subsystem, the localnetwork subsystem automatically assembles the master-less wirelessnetwork among the plurality of communication devices 102, 104 using atleast one channel for information transfer as indicated by informationsharing link 120. In accordance with an embodiment, a plurality ofpredetermined applications are stored within dispatch and informationmanagement center 124 of the narrowband network, accessible by the localnetwork subsystem. Dispatch and information management center 124 storesand downloads predetermined applications to the local network subsystembased on the information transferred amongst the plurality of pluralityof communication devices 102, 104. The downloaded application(s) controltransmit and receive functionality based on the transferred informationcontent. The previously discussed safety net is created by gathering asmuch information content as possible from people and devices in thefield and utilizing this information for better safety support decisionsand increased information deployment to the field.

FIG. 2 shows an example of a more detailed communication system 200operating in accordance with an embodiment of the invention.Communication system 200 comprises narrowband communication device 102operating over the private narrowband network 110 and broadbandcommunication device 104 operating over the private network (or publicnetwork) 112 as described in FIG. 1. In accordance with an embodiment,information and applications are shared with the narrowbandcommunication device 102 via the public safety system from dispatch andinformation management center 124 having an information and applicationdatabase 264. Public safety information collected via the public safetyradio device 102 can be shared with the dispatch and informationmanagement center 124 via the narrowband network 110. If information cannot be shared via the narrowband network 110, the broadbandcommunication device 104 can act as an RF modem to route data via thebroadband system 150 over secure network link 122. The information andapplications may also be stored locally at an option board 230 and thendownloaded to the narrowband communication device 102. The broadbandcommunication device 104 receives the applications over the securenetwork link 122 and can share the information and applications withnarrowband device 102 via a personal area network (PAN) over informationsharing link 120.

The applications downloaded to the narrowband communication device 102provide the collaborative interaction to be used amongst devices.Additional information referred to as context information surroundingthe user and devices is also gathered. Context information can begathered, for example by sensors, such as portable and stationarysensors 242, biometric sensors 244, and/or wireless body worn sensors246. Context information can also be gathered by location trackingtechnology embedded within the communication devices 102 and/or 104. Thecontext information can be shared with the dispatch and informationmanagement center 124 via narrowband private network 110 or viaprivate/public broadband network 112.

For example, dispatch and information management center 124 may downloadan application that controls the collection of sensor data at thenarrowband communication device 102 for a narrowband device havingsensor capability, such as a portable stationary sensors 242 and/orbiometric sensors 244. The public safety information is managed byapplications on radio 102 and can be mirrored and communicated viabroadband devices 104 for redundancy. Broadband communication device 104can also receive sensory information from the sensors, such as thebiometric sensors 244, over a Bluetooth link 248, or Zigbee or other PANlink.

From a vehicular perspective, a vehicle 250 comprises wireless controls252 and in-vehicle docking station 254 for gathering information from acontrol group 256 and gathering information from in-vehicle sensors 258.This information is transferred over the private narrowband network 110for communication to a dispatch center 260 and narrowband communicationdevice 102.

In accordance with an embodiment, the dispatch center 260 is showncommunicating with the private narrowband network of the public safetysystem and the private/public network 112 of the broadband system 150.While the dispatch center 260 normally interfaces with the privatenarrowband network of the public safety system 140 (as part of dispatchand records management center 124), in this embodiment the downloadingof the applications from narrowband communication device 102 tobroadband communication device 104 enables the broadband communicationdevice 104 to temporarily communicate with dispatch center 260. Othertypes of dispatch centers or control centers, such as vehicular incidentcommand center 262, may also provide control services to private orpublic network 112 of the broadband system 150 and private narrowbandnetwork 110 of public safety system 140.

FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of information andapplication dissemination 300 amongst communication devices operatingwithin the communication system in accordance with an embodiment of theinvention. Downloadable information and applications comprise contextinformation pertaining to mission critical applications 302, efficiencyapplications 304, and vehicular network applications 306. Integratedvehicular network applications 306 operate in conjunction with bothapplications 302 and 304. Modules integrated within or operating withnarrowband communication device 102 include sensors, Bluetoothcapability and internet-network capability for internet and networkconnections. The context information pertaining to mission criticalapplications 302 comprise for example, Bluetooth secure pairing, GPS andlocation applications, Man-down emergency applications, biometricsensor, and chemical monitoring.

Efficiency applications 304 comprise, for example, back-up push-to-talk(PTT) and emergency features, running public service announcement (PSA),rules for RF ID tracking, drivers license tag reader, camera capabilityfor facial recognition and identification, text-to-speech prompts andWLAN broadband capability. As mentioned previously, the broadbandcommunication device 104 can operate as an RF modem for PTT audiooriginating from the narrowband communication device 102.

Examples of the vehicular network applications include but are notlimited to: mobility measure of P25 broadband links, in-vehicle dockingstation for portable devices, modular wireless vehicle console, mobileinformation HUB, touch screen user interface, and video, such as up-linkand down-link video.

The communication systems 100, 200 and application dissemination 300provide the ability to develop and deploy a broadband communicationdevice 104 to operate as a partner device to the narrowbandcommunication device 102 to increase safety and productivity of theuser. The broadband communication device 102 strengthens the safety netand compliments the core radio devices. In-field support is enhanced bythe automatic selection of appropriate device for a particular actionbased on predetermined rules as set out in the downloaded applications.

The communication system allows for the placement of a function on themost reasonable device; however the feature affects all linked devices.Thus, a safety enhancement is provided without additional materialcosts. For example, utilizing the simplest/fasters device for a giventask, a public service personnel worker can better focus on the job athand. Additionally, by adding the cross-linkage capacity to a higherlevel of features, the collaborating devices are able to support anever-changing environment surrounding the user. Operational features canalso be escalated based in the radio and radio user's currentsituation—as determined by the context information.

As an example, consider narrowband communication device 102, such as atwo-way radio, going into emergency mode, the partner communicationdevice 104 being altered to the radio mode automatically enables voicerecognition. Commands from the user 106 are then received by the partnercommunication device 104 and routed back to the radio. As such, theradio is not expending battery power or processor power for this voicefeature.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart 400 providing an example of event processingbetween two paired communication devices operating in accordance with anembodiment of the invention. For this example, the paired devices willbe referred to as paired device 1 and paired device 2 402, 408. An eventoccurs at 404 (for example: a call, an emergency button press, or thelike) at paired device 1. Paired device 1, in response to the event,shares 406 pertinent information pertaining to the event details withpaired device 2. At 410, paired device 2 processes the event details aswell as any other pertinent information supplied by device 1 orcollected by device 2 (for example, location or sensory data asconfigured by mission critical application 302 of FIG. 3). The eventinformation is also processed by paired device 1 at 412. Process eventdetails at device 2 are shared at 414 in conjunction with theconfiguration application 232. Additional information, if any, (forexample: location and sensory data), is also processed by device 1 at416. Processing of the information at both devices 1 and 2 is ended bytime-out timers at 418, 420. Thus, by sharing the processing event inconjunction with additional contextual data, the best device can now beautomatically used for certain functions. The sharing occurring between406/410 and 414/416 can be configured based upon: controlling generalevent sharing, coordinated event sharing, coordinated bi-directionalevent sharing, and both application and event sharing as discussedpreviously.

The process of FIG. 4 provides improved data response efforts sharedbetween paired narrowband and broadband devices. There may alsosituations where the narrowband communication device 102 can inform thebroadband device 104 of an issue, the device 104 informs the radio thatwill assume certain feature responsibilities; and together the twodevices have overcome a fault, error, or environmental issues withoutuser interaction.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart 500 example of information sharing and eventtriggering for the interaction of devices operating within thecommunication system in accordance with an embodiment of the invention.The interaction begins by device pairing at 502. Device pairing canoccur using or in response to manual and known product pairingassociated with the type of selected PAN technology. In accordance withthis embodiment both the narrowband communication device 102 andbroadband device 104 enable their respective information sharingapplications at 504 and 506. In accordance with this embodiment aninformation sharing link is authorized at 508. The basis for authorizingthe information sharing link can include backend authentication of asecond level paring event, if desired. The authorization 508 creates abaseline for other event activity, such as sharing radio functionality,sharing radio profiles, such as operating modes. In accordance with theembodiment, at 510 the broadband device 104 user interface is linked tothe status of narrowband communication device 102.

At 512 a determination is made whether an event trigger occurs (forexample an emergency event). If no event is triggered, the broadbanddevice displays event context information pertaining to the narrowbandcommunication device at 516. This allows processing power and batterypower to be saved at narrowband communication device 102. The broadbanddevice 104 follows predetermined rules during the local interaction withthe narrowband communication device 102 allowing for an expanded userinterface for the user. the predetermined rules also include rules forsending and receiving information between the two devices in acollaborative manner.

If an event trigger occurred at 512, then an event application downloadoccurs at 514—the event application download corresponding to the typeof event occurring. For example, an emergency application downloadenables emergency operating features. The emergency application canenable interface features such items as enlarging fonts on a display,intelligent lighting, and matching of narrowband communication deviceprofiles for the emergency application. The event which caused thetrigger is processed at 518. The event processing can be controlledthough one or more of: user interaction, received interaction (from thepartner device 104 or external device), radio application interaction,and transmit interaction (for example to confirm the event).

The processing of event triggers and responses occurring at 512, 514,518 can be further exemplified by device triggers and responses shown inFIG. 6 as 602, 604. In FIG. 6, a table 600 provides examples of suchdevice activity. Table 600 shows several examples of radio eventtriggers 602 received by narrowband communication device 102 andresponses 604 by the partnered broadband communication device 104. Forexample, a radio event trigger 606 of receiving an emergency alert, callalert, private call or group call can result in the partnered broadbanddevice response 608 of: user interface being matched to the radio;intelligent lighting operation; requesting further detail; displayinginformation; and providing visual, audio, or haptic feedback. A radioevent trigger 610 of emergency initiated based on sensor data, such as aman down sensor, can result in partnered broadband device response 612of: broadband device records in audio and/or visual format; utilizationof the broadband connection to deliver additional information andenabling of location determination and voice recognition, “take apicture” to force camera activity with log time, recording an audiostream, sending a back-up request message or emergency group call.

Additional responses may occur at both devices in response to the radioevent trigger. For example, a radio event trigger 614 of secondarysensor processing can result in: the narrowband device submitting anapplication, module, or sensor identification to the broadband device,the narrowband device may stream the sensor data to the broadbanddevice, and the broadband device may link the streaming data to othermonitoring applications at 616.

Another event trigger example may be an out of range indicator 618occurring at the narrowband communication device 102, which results in aresponse 620 of the broadband device 104 echoing the narrowband device'saudio stream into the traditional network 126 where the audio is thensent to the dispatch center 124 via the secure network link 122 allowingfor communication when the narrowband device 102 is out of system range.

An event trigger of channel change 622 at the broadband device canresult in several responses 624 such as: posting the channel informationto the broadband device such that the broadband device shows the channelinformation in a large font or the broadband device lists out anyadditional information, such as the most recent or common active users atalkgroup.

A low battery trigger event trigger 626 at the narrowband device canresult in a response 628, such as the narrowband device alerting thebroadband device of the radio's low battery condition, the broadbanddevice alerting the narrowband device that it is taking over certainoperations, and the narrowband device converting to an out of rangecondition with transmit disabled for power savings.

Independent use cases can still occur with and without the partnerdevice. In either scenario, the user can still accomplish a base levelof acceptable functionality on either device (as if there were nolinkage). The inclusion of the additional data processing increases userknowledge and understanding via system driven contextual information.Likewise, providing the user's local user contextual information to adispatcher or secondary group (for example: supervisor) propagatessafety information throughout the system to other users and groups.

The broadband communication device can also transmit triggers back tothe radio, when the radio is properly configured. This interaction cancreate a type of remote control unit for the radio where the user canleverage, for example, the voice control and touch screen abilities ofthe second device to change channels, initiate events (status/message),or enhanced input method for text messaging. These control methodsbetween the 2-to-n devices can be managed via understood languages suchas extensible markup language (XML), pre-defined parameter commands,prior known serial commands or other data packet based over the aircommand protocols.

The communication devices operating in accordance with the embodimentswork together for increased self-coordination, adjusting deviceresponses based on surrounding context information, and controlling thewhich function gets assigned to which device increases user safety. Theautomation of information delivery to both devices allows for a singlecommunication device, such as a radio or PDA, to be selected toautomatically handle certain functions.

EXAMPLES

The following examples describe various embodiments of partnered deviceinteraction for the communication system operating within a publicsafety environment. For the following examples, the first device is thenarrowband device 102 operating within a public safety system and isreferred to as a radio, while a second device is the broadband device104 operating in either a private or public network within a broadbandsystem and is referred to as a personal digital assistant (PDA).

Example #1—Call Received

Radio identifies a peer device and vice versa

Devices associate either with a proprietary or common standards basedprotocol (example: Bluetooth)

Post association, the devices share a functional list in some understoodproprietary protocol (example: XML)

Radio receives a call from a specific user

The two devices can manage this event in three different ways inaccordance with the device interaction scenario.

Device Interaction Scenario #1

Radio shares that radio ID with a second device (example: PDA) andprocesses the call indifferent to the fact that the radio shared theinformation with the PDA; i.e. radio enables intelligent lights, and anyapplicable tones

Second device (example: PDA) utilizes the caller ID and the fact thatthe Call Receive event occurred to process additional activity

The PDA processes any call receive audible tones and enables the callreceive intelligent lighting for some pre-set of time (i.e.time-out-timer)

PDA engages the Customer Enterprise Network (CEN) to acquire additionalinformation about the user associated with the received caller ID(location, current status, skill-set or linked work apparatus)

Device Interaction Scenario #2

Radio shares that radio ID with a second device (example: PDA) andprocesses the call without audible tones or intelligent lighting to savebattery life of the hand held mission critical device. (Additionally, noGPS location update or other events need to occur if the PDA willprocess the same event details)

Second device (example: PDA) utilizes the caller ID and the fact thatthe Call Receive event occurred to process additional activity

The PDA processes any call receive audible tones and enables the callreceive intelligent lighting for some pre-set of time and any GPSlocation update or other events needed for this event

PDA engages the Customer Enterprise Network (CEN) to acquire additionalinformation about the user associated with the received caller ID(location, current status, skill-set or linked work apparatus)

Device Interaction Scenario #3

Radio shares that radio ID with a second device (example: PDA) andprocesses the call without audible tones or intelligent lighting to savebattery life of the hand held mission critical device. (Additionally, noGPS location update or other events need to occur if the PDA willprocess the same event details)

Second device (example: PDA) utilizes the caller ID and the fact thatthe Call

Receive event occurred to process additional activity

The PDA processes any call receive audible tones and enables the callreceive intelligent lighting for some pre-set of time and any GPSlocation update or other events needed for this event

PDA engages the Customer Enterprise Network (CEN) to acquire additionalinformation about the user associated with the received caller ID(location, current status, skill-set or linked work apparatus)

The PDA can transmit alert information back to the radio for additionalaudible or visual alerts if required (example: radio alert occurs if thecall was located within a pre-set radius of ¼ mile) or ensure that theradio exits a call alert tone.

-   -   An example of this can also been seen as a feedback loop between        the radio and PDA such that if the radio receives a call alert        and both devices make an audible tone, acknowledging the tone on        the radio terminates the tone on the PDA or vice versa.

Device Interaction Scenario #4—Extensions of Prior Device InteractionScenario Descriptions

This scenario could be any of the prior scenarios accept that at theinitiation of the radio event (call alert) the radio downloaded specificPDA application code that instructs the PDA how to react to the triggerevent and associated caller ID information.

Example #2—Remote Control

Radio identifies a peer device and vice versa

Devices associate either with a proprietary or common standards basedprotocol (example: Bluetooth)

Post association, the devices share a functional list in some understoodproprietary protocol (example: XML)

Second device (example: PDA) offers an application that can drive eventson the radio device

-   -   Channel changes, volume control, call initiation, etc.

The different DIS procedures would vary with the coordination of theradio LEDs or color display showing the channel change or callinitiation event.

-   -   The call initiated from the PDA would still be controlled on the        radio via the time out timers    -   The radio would be capable of communicating its internal status        (i.e. result of the call time out timer) back to the PDA

Example #3a—Radio Emergency Button

Radio identifies a peer device and vice versa

Devices associate either with a proprietary or common standards basedprotocol (example: Bluetooth)

Post association, the devices share a functional list in some understoodproprietary protocol (example: XML)

When an emergency is initiated on the radio, the device focuses ontransmitting the emergency out to the mission critical network anddispatcher

The second device (example: PDA) . . .

-   -   Switches to a larger vector font on the display    -   Transmits location update via a second network (example:        broadband) so as to not interrupt the radio transmitting the        emergency indication    -   Enables voice recognition and video and audio recording can        initiate

Example #3b—Emergency Sensor Response

Radio identifies a peer device and vice versa

Devices associate either with a proprietary or common standards basedprotocol (example: Bluetooth)

Post association, the devices share a functional list in some understoodproprietary protocol (example: XML)

When an emergency via accelerometer, “Man-Down”, or sensor is reportedto the second device (example: PDA), the PDA instructs the radio that itneeds to enter emergency mode (alarm or call)

The two devices can work in redundancy such that

-   -   Both devices transmit emergency via different networks    -   Both units transmit sensor data over both networks    -   Both units transmit ambient audio via both networks

The list of functionality can be utilized for redundancy, selectable forpower savings, intelligent based upon the amount of information and thecapabilities of the different networks

-   -   Only transmit as little as possible on public safety device due        to high transmit power compared to low power cellular or WLAN        transmission    -   If out of range, the radio can defer transmission of typical        mission critical data (emergency, call request, etc) over to        second peer device if it has coverage    -   Depending on inter-network configuration, the second device        (PDA) can utilize the radio vo-coder (example: speech coding        within the advanced multi-band excitation AMBE standards) to        encode PDA recorded voice so that it can be more readily        re-inserted into the radio network via a simplified inter-system        gateway.        This last section of example #3b is applicable to any of the        scenarios as it typifies the ability of the devices to work        together for added benefit of:

Power Savings by only utilizing 1 transmitter (lower power) than usingboth

Appropriate network selection for greater efficiency (not taxing limitedmission critical compared to available broadband)

-   -   Transmitter power needs compared to available battery can also        be a factor

Ability to use elements on other devices for added benefit of size,shape, or battery requirements

-   -   Limited electrical elements        -   camera        -   additional CPU for MIPS intensive functions        -   Accelerometers, GPS, or dead reckoning elements    -   Utilization of form factors that better match specific data        input        -   larger color display        -   qwerty keypad for data entry to any device        -   touch screen User Interface for single control entry            The examples of various embodiments focus on public safety            scenarios by focusing in emergency response details back to            the dispatcher. While traditional approaches carry voice,            the peer devices of the various embodiments can augment the            audio with key dispatcher desirable information being            transmitted without affecting the resource constrained            public safety network elements.

The communication system provided and operating in accordance with thevarious embodiments comprises a plurality of mater-less hand helddevices operating in a public safety environment providing mutualassociation, feature/function sharing and managed redundancy. Safety,power management and productivity as well as overall user experience areenhanced though the use of the collaborating devices. The enhancedcommunication system provides for the ability for greater decisionmaking and automation of decisions in the public safety environment.

Accordingly, there has been provided an enhanced communication systemfor use in a public safety environment. The automatic coordination ofdecision ownership amongst public safety and non public safety devicesis provided. The automated peer-to-peer networking amongst a user'shand-held and bodily worn products provides a seamless communicationstream to the user thereby improving safety conditions in hazardousenvironments. The communication system allows for improved userinterface without user interaction to provide for optimized relaying ofpublic safety information over the public safety device and non publicsafety device.

The communication system operating in accordance with the variousembodiments provides a valued connection between a narrowband device,such as a public safety radio, a broadband device, such as a datadevice, a private narrowband system, and a public or private broadbandsystem. The separation of the two (or more) devices, as opposed to anall in one device, provides redundancy in that the secondary (partneredbroadband device) device can fail but the mission criticalcommunications will still continue using the primary narrowband publicsafety device. Additionally, the use of multiple devices allows for theseparation of mission critical information from the detailed contextualinformation which might otherwise overwhelm the user in the publicsafety working environment. The collaborative processing and sharing ofinformation allows for triggered inputs to enable changes across themultiple devices for shared device functionality. The communicationsystem provides synchronization of status of the multiple devices toenable cooperative or independent operation based on events andsurroundings. The interaction of the devices allows not only for contentmanagement but the automatic updating of operational features therebyimproving the user experience.

In the foregoing specification, specific embodiments have beendescribed. However, one of ordinary skill in the art appreciates thatvarious modifications and changes can be made without departing from thescope of the invention as set forth in the claims below. Accordingly,the specification and figures are to be regarded in an illustrativerather than a restrictive sense, and all such modifications are intendedto be included within the scope of present teachings.

The benefits, advantages, solutions to problems, and any element(s) thatmay cause any benefit, advantage, or solution to occur or become morepronounced are not to be construed as a critical, required, or essentialfeatures or elements of any or all the claims. The invention is definedsolely by the appended claims including any amendments made during thependency of this application and all equivalents of those claims asissued.

Moreover in this document, relational terms such as first and second,top and bottom, and the like may be used solely to distinguish oneentity or action from another entity or action without necessarilyrequiring or implying any actual such relationship or order between suchentities or actions. The terms “comprises,” “comprising,” “has”,“having,” “includes”, “including,” “contains”, “containing” or any othervariation thereof, are intended to cover a non-exclusive inclusion, suchthat a process, method, article, or apparatus that comprises, has,includes, contains a list of elements does not include only thoseelements but may include other elements not expressly listed or inherentto such process, method, article, or apparatus. An element proceeded by“comprises . . . a”, “has . . . a”, “includes . . . a”, “contains . . .a” does not, without more constraints, preclude the existence ofadditional identical elements in the process, method, article, orapparatus that comprises, has, includes, contains the element. The terms“a” and “an” are defined as one or more unless explicitly statedotherwise herein. The terms “substantially”, “essentially”,“approximately”, “about” or any other version thereof, are defined asbeing close to as understood by one of ordinary skill in the art, and inone non-limiting embodiment the term is defined to be within 10%, inanother embodiment within 5%, in another embodiment within 1% and inanother embodiment within 0.5%. The term “coupled” as used herein isdefined as connected, although not necessarily directly and notnecessarily mechanically. A device or structure that is “configured” ina certain way is configured in at least that way, but may also beconfigured in ways that are not listed.

The Abstract of the Disclosure is provided to allow the reader toquickly ascertain the nature of the technical disclosure. It issubmitted with the understanding that it will not be used to interpretor limit the scope or meaning of the claims. In addition, in theforegoing Detailed Description, it can be seen that various features aregrouped together in various embodiments for the purpose of streamliningthe disclosure. This method of disclosure is not to be interpreted asreflecting an intention that the claimed embodiments require morefeatures than are expressly recited in each claim. Rather, as thefollowing claims reflect, inventive subject matter lies in less than allfeatures of a single disclosed embodiment. Thus the following claims arehereby incorporated into the Detailed Description, with each claimstanding on its own as a separately claimed subject

Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the above recognizedadvantages and other advantages described herein are merely exemplaryand are not meant to be a complete rendering of all of the advantages ofthe various embodiments of the present invention.

We claim:
 1. A communication system, comprising: a set of communicationdevices formed of public safety communication devices and non-publicsafety communication devices, the set of communication devices linkedtogether for an interconnected peer to peer network, the linkedcommunication devices supporting a sharing of public safety informationand status information via a safety net application that controls thedelivery of safety information to and from the linked communicationdevices, the safety net application ensuring that information is sent toa most appropriate communication device and to a most appropriate userinterface element of the communication device.
 2. The communicationsystem of claim 1, wherein the safety net application controls deviceinterconnectivity for controlling one or more of general event sharing,coordinated event sharing, coordinated bi-directional event sharing,application sharing, and event sharing.
 3. The communication system ofclaim 1, wherein the safety net application controls the user interfaceelements comprising one or more of: a display, a loudspeaker, and akeyboard.
 4. The communication system of claim 1, wherein the safety netapplication controls transmit and receive functionality of the publicsafety communication devices and non public safety communicationdevices.
 5. The communication system of claim 1, wherein the safety netapplication controls one or more of: personal area connectivity control,display color, intelligent lighting, time out timers, level event driventriggers, power management, user interface, event sharing protocols, andpublic safety wide area voice, integrated voice and data protocols.
 6. Amethod comprising: linking a set of communication devices to create aninterconnected peer to peer network, wherein the set of communicationdevices comprise public safety communication devices and non publicsafety communication devices; sharing, by the set of communicationdevices, public safety information and status information via a safetynet application that controls the delivery of safety information to andfrom the set of communication devices; and arranging, by the safety netapplication, for information to be sent to a most appropriatecommunication device and to a most appropriate user interface element ofthe communication device.
 7. The method of claim 6, further comprisingcontrolling, by the safety net application, device interconnectivity forcontrolling one or more of general event sharing, coordinated eventsharing, coordinated bi-directional event sharing, application sharing,and event sharing.
 8. The method of claim 6, further comprisingcontrolling, by the safety net application, user interface elementscomprising one or more of: a display, a loudspeaker, and a keyboard. 9.The method of claim 6, further comprising controlling, by the safety netapplication, transmit and receive functionality of the public safetycommunication devices and non public safety communication devices. 10.The method of claim 6, further comprising controlling, by the safety netapplication, one or more of: personal area connectivity control, displaycolor, intelligent lighting, time out timers, level event driventriggers, power management, user interface, event sharing protocols, andpublic safety wide area voice, integrated voice and data protocols.